The Assassination of George I of Greece: killed by a mugger

The Assassination of King George I of Greece: killed by a mugger

On the 18th of March 1913, King George I of Greece was assassinated in Thessaloniki.

 

George I ruled as King of Greece for almost fifty years, and was the second longest reigning European monarch at the time, after Queen Victoria of Great Britain.

 

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, and

Tsar Alexander III, the Russian Emperor,

were his brothers-in-law, and

George V of the United Kingdom and

Tsar Nicholas II, the last Russian Emperor, were his nephews.

 

King George I of Greece was all joy and happiness as the 50th anniversary of his accession to the throne drew near. But he was getting tired. This Kingy business was a young man's game. He planned to abdicate later that year, after his golden jubilee in October.

 

In his place, his son, Constantine would sit upon the Throne of Greece.

 

On the 18th March, 1913, George was visiting Thessaloniki, a city recently liberated after the First Balkan War. Thinking he was perfectly safe, the King took a walk near the White Tower.

 

He often strolled the afternoons away in Athens without his full protection detail. And he thought, what the heck, might as well do it in Thessaloniki. What harm could it do?

 

Well, as it turns out....

 

Alexandros Schinas, a member of a Socialist Organization, and as the Greek Government declared at the time, an "alcoholic vagrant", shot the king dead centre in the chest.

After Alexandros Schinas was arrested, he was questioned, and was asked the only question on everybody's lips, "Do you think Donald Trump would make a good president?"

 

He answered the question no one cared about instead. He had killed the king because, "he refused to give me money."

 

It beggars belief. But it's true. It would seem, according to the statements the Greek Government put out, that Schinas had asked the King for money whilst the King was out for his walk, and the King had refused to give him any.

 

"So, I shot him. Shot him real good. That's what alcoholic vagrants with no money do."

 

The Greek Government insisted, again and again, that there was no political motivation for Alexandros Schinas assassinating the king. He did it because he was drunk, and wanted money. It wasn't an assassination. It was a mugging.

 

Probably unrelated, but Alexandros Schinas was tortured in prison for nearly six weeks. He then "fell" to his death out of a police station window. Yep, he "fell", and certainly wasn't pushed.

 

The police realised what he had done and rushed to the scene in the streets below. And quickly removed the nipple clamps from the body of Schinas.

 

They then placed a half empty bottle of Whiskey in his hands and said, "Looksee, whiskey. That proves it. An alcoholic vagrant mugger."